UN warns of escalating humanitarian need in Syria

AP foreign, Friday November 9 2012

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations is warning that if the Syrian conflict continues at such a deadly pace the number of people inside the country needing humanitarian aid could rise from 2.5 million now to 4 million by early next year.

John Ging, operations director for the U.N. humanitarian office, said a failure to end the fighting would also likely lead to an increase in the number of Syrians fleeing to neighboring countries from almost 400,000 currently to around 700,000 in early 2013.

Ging spoke in an interview ahead of Friday's fifth Syria Humanitarian Forum in Geneva where 350-400 representatives of governments, international organizations and aid groups will hear reports on the sharply deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria.

"It's just getting a lot worse very rapidly for the ordinary people," Ging said.